This invention relates to a system and method for magnifying and editing images, and more particularly, to a system and method for magnifying and editing images using a loupe cursor.
Many graphic applications provide a mechanism for zooming or magnifying an area of an image displayed on a display screen. An example of a zooming mechanism is zooming an image while manipulating transparency masks. With such a zooming mechanism, the user is typically required to zoom the entire image while editing fine detail. This could result in that the user loses the relative position or entire view of the image upon which the user is acting.
In order to provide the user with an indication of the positional relation between the original image and an enlarged view, it is known to display an enlarged view of an area of the original image in a preselected area of the display screen together with the original image. Some existing zooming mechanisms provide an enlarged view superposed over the original image. The enlarged view acts as a view window. The enlarged image displayed in the view window corresponds to the placement of the cursor on the display screen. In this mechanism, the view window remains in a static position while the enlarged image is displayed within it.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,530 issued to Maejima on Dec. 9, 1997 discloses a method of moving an enlarged image with a mouse cursor. This method provides an area for displaying an enlarged display. The enlarged display is superposed over the original image and centred on a point of a whole image indicated by a mouse cursor. This method maintains the enlarged display while the cursor moves within the area for the enlarged display. Once the user moves the cursor outside of the area for the enlarged display, another enlargement is created. The enlarged display area is refreshed only after the cursor is moved outside of the area for displaying the enlarged display. Thus, each enlarged display is still a static display of the enlarged area. It does not allow dynamic editing of the enlarged display.
It is therefore desirable to provide an image magnifying system which allows dynamic editing of an enlarged or magnified image displayed over an original image.
The present invention uses a loupe cursor which dynamically displays a magnified image of a selected area of a basic image displayed on a display device, and that allows manipulation of the image.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a loupe cursor controller for assisting a user to edit a basic image displayed on a display device. The loupe cursor controller comprises a user input interface, a selector, a magnifier, a modifier, a loupe image data generator and a display interface. The user input interface is provided for receiving a user select signal and a user editing signal. The selector generates selected basic image data representing an area of the basic image defined by the user select signal. The magnifier generates magnified image data by magnifying the selected basic image data. The modifier generates modified image data by modifying the magnified image data in response to the user editing signal. The loupe image data generator generates loupe image data based on the magnified image data and the modified image data. The display interface sends the loupe image data to the display device to display a loupe image based on the loupe image data over the basic image.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for editing a basic image displayed on a display device. The method comprising generating basic image data representing a selected area of the basic image using a loupe cursor having a predetermined area on the display device; generating magnified image data by magnifying the selected basic image data; displaying within the loupe cursor a loupe image based on the magnified image data; receiving a user editing signal for editing the loupe image; generating modified image data when the user editing signal is received; and dynamically modifying the loupe image displayed within the loupe cursor based on the modified image data.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.